My dealer is willing to swap my 18" wheels and tires (All Season Contis) for new 17" wheels and all season tires. He has someone getting a new 3.2 with 17" wheels who wants 18" wheels. As I've written before, I find the ride quality on certain road surfaces to be too rough and loud for a sedan, especially over expansion joints and uneven pavement. However, the 18" wheels handle great and, in my opinion, look better than the 17s. Am I crazy to consider this trade? For those of you with 17" wheels, how's the ride?

Thanks.

Steve

Just curious. I am upgrading from 17" to 18"s when my A6 arrives in the next few days. Where are you...please don't tell me Ft Lauderdale.

Baltimore, although my wife's family lives near Ft. Lauderdale. If I lived in South Florida, the 18"s would be perfect - your roads do not suffer from the freeze/thaw cycle of the northesast.

We have 17" wheels on our A6 because that was the only way we could get the car now. But we live near NYC and I bet that the 16" wheels would do better in snow. I can live with the 17" wheels but would not consider 18" wheels. Besides being worse in snow they are more vulnerable to wheel damage if you hit a pothole.

I haven't driven 18's though...

You're giving up some money (AOA rates the 18's as $250 more than the 17's), but you have to decide if you prefer the ride quality afforded by the smaller.

that the ride with the 17-inch wheels is very smooth and the car handles well. Looking at the photos in the brochure it is hard to tell which wheel is easier to wash, which for some of us is a factor to consider, but neither looks as hard to wash as the 17-inch wheel that is standard on the 4.2. You may also find that the 245/45R17 tires will cost less than the 245/40R18 and perhaps easier to find.

I'm sure your right on the ride quality, but I think the 18s look great on the car. That's the only option I wish I could have gotten, but didn't

I have driven both before I purchased my 2005 A6, the 17" gives you a better ride especially in city driving and you really don't lose much on the fun-filled curvy roads. The 18" even without the sport package does produce a harsh ride and I agree the look of the 18" is superior, but for the stake of my kidneys, I got the 17".

$250 price difference, but if you want to upgrade from 17" to 18" afterwards then the difference is $750, go figure !

That's one issue I had not even considered. I wonder if the lower profile and wider 18"s don't do well in the snow, even though the tires are M+S rated?

My previous message indicated that the 16-inch wheels would be better in snow. That is apt to be true because they use narrower tires, 225/55 instead of 245/45, and narrower tires cut into the snow more. Some car manufacturers recommend using a narrower tire, higher profile tires for snow tires. (When going to a narrower tire you need to select a higher profile so that the overall diameter of the tire is about the same.)

However, I notice that Audi comes with the same width tires, 245/45 on the 17-inch and 245/40 on the 18-inch wheels. This may make them perform similarly in snow. But the 18-inch wheels would be more vulnerable to pothole damage because they have a lower profile and the wheel would be a half inch closer to the pavement.

Tom

the 18" wheels

My best guess would be the 17's are lighter but this is just a guess since no one has weighed their 17" or 18" wheels(how I wish someone would weigh them).

If the 17's are lighter, then your car might actually feel quicker because of this.

Since you are truly unsatisfied with your 18's, a switch to 17's would be a very smart and satisfying move for you.